Coastal Breeze News

The Reason for the Pelican By John Ciardi The reason for the pelican Is difficult to see; His beak is clearly larger Than there’s any need to be. It’s not to bail a boat with - He doesn’t own a boat. Yet everywhere he takes himself He has that beak to tote. It’s not to keep his wife in - His wife has got one, too - It’s not a scoop for eating soup, It’s not an extra shoe. It isn’t quite for anything. And yet you realize, It’s really quite a splendid beak In quite a splendid size. Brown ... Read More »

By Liz Carr, Code Compliance Officer Various code violations occur throughout the City; however, the Code Enforcement officers would like to address two violations of city code that occur weekly: 1) when to place recycle or trash roadside 2) sidewalk maintenance. Recycle and Trash Containers. Recycle bins and trash receptacles should be taken to the roadside after 6:00 p.m. of the evening before the scheduled pickup day. The City Code prohibits containers being roadside for days at a time or any earlier than 6:00 p.m. the evening prior to pickup. For example, for recycle items such as landscape debris or ... Read More »

By now, everyone should have received a ballot and an explanatory brochure on Understanding the Referendum in the mail. The brochure clearly states a YES vote means that you want to change the Charter language on that question, while a NO vote means you do NOT want to change the language on that question. How about the seven questions themselves? Members of the Charter Review Committee offer their comments and information on each of the changes up for discussion. These questions will be presented to the voters on January 26, 2010, and as the absentee ballots are distributed early in ... Read More »

What a wonderful way to start a new year! A new newspaper in town and it is our own, with our own people doing the writing! It has been a wonderful holiday season, starting with Chanukah for our Jewish friends, and moving on to Christmas for our Christian friends. The nicest thing about this holiday season is that it brings families together for the celebration. I hope everyone reading this column had a most joyous holiday, and that we can all look forward to a better New Year than we had last year with better health, better weather (it was ... Read More »

City Council Meeting On Monday, January 4, 2010 the City Council of Marco Island started the new year with two meetings: first they met in closed attorney-client session with City Manager Steve Thompson and City Attorney Alan Gabriel to discuss matters relating to pending litigation with Key Marco Community Association, Inc. v. City of Marco Island. At the conclusion of litigation,a transcript will become part of the public record. This litigation involves a case in which the City claims protected species of trees were removed from properties in Key Marco. Present at the general meeting were Councilmen Forcht, Kiester, Popoff ... Read More »

Remember Peggy Lee singing “Is That All There Is?”  That aptly describes the adulthood of Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) who waltzes through life with an aircraft glued to the seat of his pants.  Ryan is a product of modern America, where his company concentrates on dispatching its staff dedicated to firing the innocent victims of an economy in severe recession. Clooney is at his best, beautifully underplaying the role of Bingham, a man who spends over 300 days a year criss-crossing the country for the sole purpose of firing people.  He is smooth, convincing, but dispassionate when he substitutes “opportunity” ... Read More »

Beauty, being in the eye of the beholder, is often the crux of a problem and also a challenge. The Goodland Boat Park is one such animal. As recent as a dozen years ago, the swath of land south and at the end of Goodland Drive West was just low, swampy marshland. During these past years, that swamp has transitioned into million-dollar property and has caused Goodlanders, a few developers, and the County much stress and discord. Read More »

It’s funny how life unfolds before us. Three women, extremely diverse in their views and experiences met, worked together for several years, and went in different directions to pursue other goals. Who would have suspected they would eventually unite to form the foundation for a dynamic new local newspaper team? And yet, here we are presenting you with the first great issue of Coastal Breeze News! For me, it was a no-brainer! Having seen corporate downsizing three times in less than a year, I knew it was inevitable that the highest salaried employee was next to go: namely me! After ... Read More »

In my high school yearbook quote, I used a poem by Stephen Crane, which read: “Think as I think,” said a man, “Or you are abominably wicked; You are a toad.” And after I had thought about it, I said, “I will, then, be a toad.” For anyone who would say that the medicine I practice makes me a quack, I would say, “I will then be a quack.” There are mountains of evidence showing the scientific rationale for acupuncture, homeopathy, low-level laser and magnetic resonance therapy, Chinese herbal and diet therapy, Tui-Na massage and Qi Gong, mesotherapy and prolotherapy.  ... Read More »

You have just purchased or built a fabulous home or condo on Marco Island, Naples or the surrounding area and after the initial excitement wears off, with keys in hand, the big questions arise! How do I personalize, decorate and finish my new home with style and panache? What is my style? And, oh yes, which pieces should I bring with me from Minnesota, Chicago, New York, Canada, or England? Should I remodel the kitchen completely or just change the awful countertops and backsplash? The baths look more dated than I remember when I toured with the realtor. Should I replace the ... Read More »

For 10 days every January, the cold climate of Park City, Utah heats up when more than 45,000 celebrities, filmmakers, deal makers, and film aficionados invade this mountain town for the Sundance Film Festival. Sundance began in 1978 as  the Utah/US  Film Festival. In the first years of the festival, film star Robert Redford and other organizers took to the streets to encourage people to attend this showcase for independent films. Since that time, Sundance has grown to a huge media event with more involvement of studios and industry regulars, and less involvement of  Redford. All of that may be ... Read More »

In order for your mail ballot to be counted, you MUST sign (not print, not return address label, but SIGN) the outside of your return ballot envelope, along with printing your address.  That signature MUST match the signature on file in the Election’s Office for it to be counted.  A printed signature will not be allowed, nor will a note saying you are writing for someone else.  If you do not SIGN the envelope containing the ballot, your ballot will not get counted……….PERIOD.  So many votes are not counted because this instruction is not followed.  Don’t loose your vote! I ... Read More »

There is a wide variety of annuities managed by professional staffs of expert financial people. These professionals have the ability to buy and sell securities with the basis of strength that individuals would not have. When administered professionally, they can achieve ‘paychecks’ within defined limits. The largest insurance companies and stock brokerage firms issue these variable annuities. Variable annuities are just one financial instrument that offers risks and rewards of investment. Each of us should consider what local firms offer, and we are pleased to print one option for conservative investors to examine how to invest money in order to ... Read More »

This article and some in the future (assuming I’m allowed to contribute more) will address real estate related issues, occasionally accompanied by some intended (and unintended) humor. Real estate on Marco Island seems to be contagious: wherever one goes, it seems as though the topic of conversation eventually lands on the subject. I wonder why. Until a few years ago, real estate dominated conversations at most gatherings of more than one person, and the talk was mostly by property owners wanting to brag about their triumphs and the great successes of their investments (usually it’s a ‘guy’ thing’). For the ... Read More »

You know what it does – by its very name “comfort food”, but what works for you and when do you turn to it?  Is it chocolate chip cookies with a glass of icy milk in the middle of the night when sleep escapes you? Or chocolate anything following bad news (such as when the scale refuses to go down a pound or your bills continue to rise)? Do you savor every crumb and morsel, or does part of the comfort come from wolfing it down in private with no spectators, and wondering later how it really tasted? For some, ... Read More »

If you are a registered voter on Marco island, you are aware that there is an election on January 26 and by now you should have received your ballot. Be sure to read all the directions carefully, mark your ballot, place it in the ‘secrecy sleeve’ (the piece of paper with the directions on it, labeled SECRECY SLEEVE) and return it as soon as possible. If you mail it in, be sure it has sufficient postage (44¢). The ballot has two main issues: voting for three (out of four) candidates to fill vacant city council seats, and voting for or ... Read More »

So many of us deny ourselves adventure and excitement. Swept into the trappings of duties, other people’s dreams, or soft manicured living and ease of lifestyle, we forget to embrace life. Sounds tough, doesn’t it? What is tough is not experiencing the luscious air and beautiful colors and freedom driving into and across the Everglades. There are dozens upon dozens of magnificent places to which one could be lured: places on which not even your dreams would dare to tread. Today, though, we are taking it easy and safe. The Ochopee Post Office, said to be the smallest post office ... Read More »

Patti Reed, the owner of All 4 Fitness inc., is a certified personal trainer and medical massage therapist. Her practice is a unique blend of modalities, designed to educate and empower individuals to increase their body awareness. She has blended these techniques to help herself through her own struggles with postural distortions and pain. Over the last 10 years she  has shared her passion for the the things that have worked for her with her clients. “My clients and I work together to develop a partnership in health care, building a progressive program that enables each person to operate at ... Read More »

Gone are the days, it would seem, of stereotyped blustery Tugboat Annies(1933 movie with Wallace Beery and Marie Dressler) portrayed by women with weatherbeaten faces and few feminine characteristics. Although running a chunky offshore vessel may not seem as romantic as wearing the nifty uniform of the captain of a swanky cruise ship and giving directions from a modern, glassed-in wheelhouse of a sleek ocean liner, those  working boats need to be reliable and so do their crews. Have you ever met any of them? At this time of year when friends and families reunite, many young men and women ... Read More »

According to City of Marco Island’s environmental expert Nancy Richie, you can discourage aggressive Africanized honey bees (AHBs) from building a hive on your property. Recent correspondence from Scott Krueger, (Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, Bureau of Plant Inspection) contains the following information. The population of Africanized honey bees continues to grow in Florida because of ineffective methods of eradication. The bees were originally taken to Brazil in the 1950s because of their reputation for being hardy in tropical environments and efficient pollinators. Some were released accidentally and have spread throughout South and Central ... Read More »